Echoes of the Week

The Illustrated London News,
vol. 44,
no. 1262,
p. 550.

June 4, 1864

ECHOES OF THE WEEK.

...We have a new word and a new meaning to a word to add to our
Dictionary--the new edition of Todd's Johnson, by Dr. Latham,
by-the-way, is far from perfect--and these are Miscegenation and
"gave," used for our phrase "look on." The first, from America, means
something more than amalgamation, and was wanted; it is from miscere and genus, and
signifies the northern idea of blending all the five, seven, three, or
thirteen races of mankind into one. We are, in fact, to get rid of the
colours, black, red, and yellow, by mixing them; so that we shall be
all one neutral tint, and shall not be able to sell black slaves any
more. A brilliant idea this, is it not? There is a brilliant New York
pamphlet, too, about it which would make an Englishman
blush. Mr. Dickens uses the second; his houses in his last number
(wherein he has very feebly resuscitated the literary dustman of our
babyhood, wife and all, who "lounges on the sofy" as in the song)
twice "gave" themselves to the street. Did they? Had they not better
give themselves back again? Everybody knows the French idiom, but
French is not English, and our mutual
attachment cannot even allow a mutual friend to do that which a Roman
Emperor once failed to do--i.e., coin a word unless, indeed, it is
wanted....